UH Mānoa, School of Teacher Education

Discover which Teacher Education Program might align with your Birth Month - Part Three🌈🎓!

🍎May – Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Special Education (PBSPED)
For the Career-Changer & Patient. You’re ready to reimagine your path, and your calm, nurturing nature makes you a great fit for classrooms.

🎶June – Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Education (PBCME)
For the Expressive & Patient. You see music as a life skill and believe every student deserves the chance to find their rhythm and voice.

🏅July – Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Health & Physical Education (PBCHPE)
For the Energetic & Encouraging. You thrive in movement, teamwork, and want to build healthy habits with your students that go beyond the classroom.

📚Aug – Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education (PBCSE)
For the Inquisitive & Strategic. You love going deep into your subject and enjoy helping students connect learning to the real world.

🏫September – Bachelor in Secondary Education
For the Focused & Determined. You’re ready to dive into subject-specific teaching with the drive to guide teens through their academic growth.

We know these MEdT Graduates have mastered their skills for teaching and will go on to even more amazing things in the classroom! Go make a profound impact—we are so incredibly proud of you! 💚🌈

Ho'omaika'i!

A huge congratulations to our Elementary Education graduates. These amazing educators are ready to guide our keiki as they lay the building blocks for a lifetime of learning. Go make a profound impact in your new classrooms and communities—we are so proud of you! 🎓✏️🌱

Check out our COE Convocation 2026 BEd/PB Secondary Graduates!

Find your passion and go with it! From Art and Languages to Math and Science, these graduates are ready to step out and change the world. Here’s to inspiring the next generation and making a massive impact in our classrooms and communities. We are so proud of you! 💚🌈

Aloha Po`alima!

Mahalo nui loa to the staff, students, and faculty who volunteered to organize and perform at the COE Convocation 2026! Led by Kristen Ferrer they offered oli and hula to start the program, and honored the Tuahine rain that came in full force!

Congratulations to our incredible UH Mānoa, School of Teacher Education alumnus and all the 2025–2026 Milken Award recipients! 🏅🌈

Ashley Fuerst, a Kapolei Middle School agriculture teacher and STE BEd ESEE graduate, was honored with the 2026 State Teacher of Promise award. The award is granted annually by the Milken Educators of Hawai‘i — a select group of Hawai‘i educators who have been recognized by the nationally renowned Milken Family Foundation — to a classroom teacher who demonstrates outstanding commitment and potential during their first three years with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE).

Vanessa Tadena, a resource special education (SPED) teacher at Pearl City High School, was named the Milken Teacher of Promise for the Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area. Tadena, who earned a Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) degree and is dual certified in secondary special education and secondary social studies, teaches resource world history, Hawaiian studies, and literacy as well as serves as the class of 2027 advisor.

Ridge Ono, who earned a BEd in Secondary Education and Graduate Certificate in Multilingual Multicultural Professional Practice (MMPP) from the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE), is the Milken Teacher of Promise for the Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt Complex Area.

Eric Quang was awarded the Milken Teacher of Promise for the Kailua-Kalaheo District. Quang earned a Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) degree from the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE) School of Teacher Education (STE). His specialization is Secondary Education in Japanese Language.

Kimi-Lynn Okikawa-Nakagawa(not pictured here) won the Milken Teacher of Promise at Aiea Intermediate. She is a graduate from the STE's BEd Secondary Education, General Science. She was also an amazing APT at the STE before joining the team at Aiea Intermediate!

Once again, Congratulations to all of the amazing Milken Award winners and our COE/STE representation in the classroom! You can see the full stories for each in the COE news.

Teacher Candidate Spotlight on Grace Blaney!

A Teacher Candidate from the BEd in Elementary Education and SMAP Ambassador. Looking to see more of who represents the STE? Check out the full story:
https://bit.ly/3QHGQSp

Our Teacher Appreciation posts continue with our Wednesday edition! We are keeping the messages of gratitude going.

These handwritten notes remind us exactly why we do what we do at the School of Teacher Education. 🌈🍎